Reflection 03/17/2019

We always read the account of the Transfiguration on the Second Sunday of Lent. At first glance this might seem counter intuitive to the spirit of Lent. Penance and fasting come to the fore during Lent, so what does Jesus’ transfiguration have to do with this?
What I think is going on here is that we are seeing the end goal to what we are striving for each year during Lent, but also in this life in general. Jesus revealed His transfigured humanity to the three who were there that day on top Mt. Tabor. So He wasn’t showing them His divinity, but His humanity. This shows us that those who reach Heaven will also experience their own transfiguration as well. After the Final Resurrection, when our bodies will be reunited with our souls, those in Heaven will experience its fruits in both a spiritual and bodily way. Part of this heavenly experience will be that our bodies will become transfigured, just like Jesus’ was.
The Transfiguration of Jesus shows us what the end will look like for those who enter Paradise. Those who persevere through the trials and crosses during their earthly life will experience the transfiguration in the heavenly life. Similarly, those who persevere through their prayer, fasting, and almsgiving during Lent experience a deeper, spiritual joy that comes with Easter.
Lent is in a sense a brief summation of the entire Christian life. The trials and tribulations that are experienced during Lent, as well as the celebration the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus in Holy Week, indicates to us that we are to experience the same things that Jesus did. Jesus did not wipe away suffering by His suffering, but He elevated it to the level of redemption. If we unite our sufferings to Jesus’ suffering on the Cross, our suffering can then become redemptive, helping others and ourselves reach Heaven. Our Lady told this to the children at Fatima, “Make sacrifices for sinners. Many souls go to hell, because no one is willing to help them with sacrifice.” Many go to hell because no sacrifices are offered up. Lent reminds us all of this need to offering up sacrifices for the conversion of sinners.
We cannot get to Heaven without going through the cross, without undergoing suffering, without experiencing our own death. This is why we are reading about the Transfiguration this Sunday, to see the end of what we are doing during Lent, but also to keep us focused on Heaven in this life. So let us continue to engage and exert ourselves this Lent for the salvation of souls.